A Roar for Powerful Words

Ok, so I'm a little slow. On January 29th I received the award from Fenny Sterenborg. I'm supposed to list three things that make writing good and powerful, as well as pass the award along.

Thanks Fenny!

Three Things:
1. utalizing words that touch a nerve 2. or reinforce universal experiances 3. cause us to question


I'm passing this award along to:

Christine Hamm

Aleah Sato

Kelli Russell Agodon

Quiet Sunday Afternoon

The infield of the ball diamond across the street is a quagmire. Mostly standing water with a few islands scattered about. Around the parameter is a smattering if snow dotting the ground and the outfield is a rich wheat-brown. I'm ready for spring, even if Mother Nature isn't.

I've written a lot today. And for the most part I'm pleased with the results. This morning my wife again brought me some "poetry words" for future use to help make my poetry more inaccessibly interesting. I have promised to find places for them in future work.

She also whipped up a batch of crumpet dough and we made crumpets! Yeah! I love crumpets. This is however the first time we've ever had homemade ones. They were awesome!

Error Gave F.B.I. Unauthorized Access to E-Mail

WASHINGTON — A technical glitch gave the F.B.I. access to the e-mail messages from an entire computer network — perhaps hundreds of accounts or more — instead of simply the lone e-mail address that was approved by a secret intelligence court as part of a national security investigation, according to an internal report of the 2006 episode.


A report in 2006 by the Justice Department inspector general found more than 100 violations of federal wiretap law in the two prior years by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, many of them considered technical and inadvertent. {and the ones that were not technical and inadvertent where what?}

Source: New York Times - February 17, 2008

Journal Bits

From my journal - a few recent bits:

• Dexterity lingers in hinged sticks / that count themselves by one
• If these were normal thoughts / they would bask in the sunny side / of frequency- not the cold darkness.//
• Shadows aren't secret places. / Just overlooked and misunderstood.//
• Streets flowed downstream / past lamp posts and shops / that closed for the occasion.//

It's Friday - yeah!

A few poetry items of interest:

While Elizabeth Bishop published only about 90 of them in a handful of books, the Library of America is publishing a new collection of her poems and prose. PBS, who in my estimation has a reputation for providing some wonderful reporting on poetry, has a story about this here.

An East St. Louis woman has filed suit in U.S. District Court against Gillan Graphics and Awards, Inc., alleging it sold copies of a poem she wrote for her mother. Felicia Gayden claims she owns a copyright on a piece of original poetry, entitled "Dearest Mother" which was taken to Gillan for framing by the Plaintiff for presentment to her mother. Gayden later realized Gillan Graphics was selling a framed version of her poem with title and minor changes. [Story here]

The Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) Poetry Series opens with Li-Young Lee [ Story here]

On a political note, Thumbs Up for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who would not be intimidated by President Bush over the deadline on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. When the President continues to thumb his nose at Congressional oversight I am glad to see she has the courage to stand up against his pressure. There needs to be more transparency in surveillance when American citizens are involved and when the administration has a history of acting without court authority where there are specific legal system in place to provide protection of rights.

John McCain Panders on His Own Principals

When presented with an opportunity to a choose between voting to extend the Army field manual's prohibition on torture to the CIA and pandering to the right wing of his party, John McCain chose pandering over his principles.

[Note McCain in a Republican presidential debate on Nov. 28, 1007]

McCain said that the Army Field Manual should be the gold standard for interrogations: I would hope that we would understand, my friends, that life is not 24 and Jack Bauer. Life is interrogation techniques which are humane and yet effective. And I just came back from visiting a prison in Iraq. The army general there said that techniques under the Army Field Manual are working and working effectively, and he didn’t think they need to do anything else. My friends, this is what America is all about.

[Now comes the defining vote]- "I made it very clear that I think that water-boarding is torture and illegal, but I will not restrict the CIA to only the Army field manual," and with that McCain votes against torture restrictions and flips on the issue.

Now just as a side note. I've had a great deal of respect with John McCain in the past. Not saying I agree with him on many issues, but I have generally believed him to be an individual of high integrity. That said I find this issue, which he has for so long professed to be a high principal of his, to have vanished so quickly. Perhaps this is just the first of many flip-flops.

Review - Forms of Intercession

“Today I am medium rare. Don’t touch me.” So begins the first line if the poem Forms of Intercession, the title poem in Jayne Pupek’s book published by Mayapple Press. Throughout the book, Pupek pokes around at medium rare subject matter. It seems there are few things that inhibit her writing which can be both disturbing and refreshing.

Each new page seems to contain a poem that is scarcely able to clutch the edge of its page and as the reader, you find yourself hanging onto each line, each raw emotion in a desperate attempt to intercede and keep it from falling into the darkness of nowhere. I had to check my own hands for blood stains when finished.

For all the dispare, Forms of Intercession isn’t all that fatalistic. No it touches a core reality of life… that it is “full of broken combs and blisters. Still we go on, / because it is in us, the need for continuance, / that sliver of persistence inside every cell.” I found it a very artistically mature and straightforward read.

Forms of Intercession

What the poem wants

"The poem is sad because it wants to be yours, and cannot be." - John Ashbery

Have you ever stopped for a moment to ask yourself what the poem wants? Ok, chuckle if you want, but people are always trying to force something out of a poem that they believe is secretly hidden by the poet. Something he or she hopes you'll look for, but never find. I know this because more than one person has suggested the same.

When I write a poem, I may well have something in mind, but I may not. For the most part what I have in mind is of lesser significance that what the reader finds in the poem. By that I don't mean what I've hidden and they have decoded, but rather what that poem speaks to them in their own voice.

When someone tries to discern what I am saying in poetry, they may well become befuddled. My advise to readers of poetry is to let the poem become yours. Once that has happened, you'll know what it is telling you.

I've read with interest the posts of several poetry bloggers who have started a Confession Tuesday weekly post in which they fess up to little sins, misgivings, shortcomings, whatever that get in there way of their writing. Sometimes the posts are quite serious and others good for a few chuckles. Example: Kelli confesses she keeps bags of sunflower seeds on hand at her desk and wonders if she is part squirrel. She also admits that choosing between Hillary and Barack is like making Dessert choices. I suppose it is a really good exercise in self examination none the less.

I was intrigued by the link she posted this week to a story that The Church of England's recommending a Carbon Fast for Lent.

Well I will confess the period of frustration over nothing but crap flowing from my pen since last week seems to have passed last night. [Insert sight of relief here] When these come, they give me fits and this last one has been especially discouraging, so I am glad it seems to have passed.

I'm currently reading Forms of Intersession, by Jayne Pupek. Watch for my review of it here soon.

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Scalping Poetry Tickets

mood: upbeat
listening to: nothing


The Super Bowl is in the history books. So you went to bed last night with a smile on your face, or a frown depending on who you were rooting for and you have a dream. In the dream people were scalping tickets to a poetry reading. But wait, it isn't a dream!

The fastest sellout in the 20 year history of Seattle Arts & Literature has occurred for Poet Mary Oliver's appearance Monday at Benaroya Hall (2,500 seating capacity) in Seattle. People have been searching Craigslist for tickets - where Roland Crane of Tacoma, finally nabbed on for the price of $100.

If you think this is a fluke, Oliver's appearance in Portland on Tuesday is also sparking a ticket frenzy. And yes, the 2,700-seat Schnitzer Concert Hall for Portland Arts & Lectures has already sold out.

Someone evidently has forgotten to tell those North westerners that poetry is dead.

Sucky writing - sigh

mood: depressed / headache
listening to: nothing

Writing this weekend seemed forced and pointless. This was frustrating. The weather is a downer. Did enjoy the Super Bowl and I'm not really a football fan.

On an upbeat note- I had a great idea for a poem come to me that I will start working on tomorrow.

Post Peek

mood: relaxed
listening to: Question 67 and 68 / Chicago


For what it is worth, my one time assessment of my peek biorhythms on the 29th of January was somewhat disappointing. It did seem my productivity in the office was remarkably better, but as for any feeling that it manifested itself in a positive way in terms of quality or quantity of writing, it was unconvincing. I suppose I'll make note of my next optimum period where all the rhythms come together and assess it again.

More rejections yesterday.

Here's an interview with the current U.S. poet laureate: What are you doing to increase the public’s interest in poetry at a time when cultural alarmists insist that reading is on its way out?

Enough blogging - time to write!

Poetry for what it is

So often I’ve heard in the course of conversation, others questioning the relevancy of poetry in contemporary times. Without enlisting hours of diatribe countering such skeptical reasoning in an attempt to convince them they are wrong, I’d prefer to take just a few minutes to simply respond in terms of the relevance it holds to me as a poet. You see, I’m convinced that poetry is not for everyone. Just as I am convinced that while I believe baseball is far more interesting on so many levels than football, there are people who will never have the capacity to see, if you’ll pardon my metaphor, the sheer poetry of a 6-4-3 double play.

You first have to accept that poetry is an artistic expression. I find many unable or unwilling to allow themselves to think of language in that light. I for example have no gift for math whatsoever and so I find algebra equations simply math that is difficult to understand, much the same way some people cannot get past language that challenges any preconceived notions of logic to be a turn off and will not make the effort to find the art within.

Gustav Mahler, the German speaking composer from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s in what is today the Czech Republic, once said, “If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music.” In any art form, the expression that is trying to find an opening to the rest of the word needs a medium to act as a doorway. It is in Mahler’s words that I believe I can best defend the relevancy of poetry as a poet. If there were a way to express myself at those times when that interior doorway is open- in a simple straight forward way perhaps I would not be a poet.

Rita Dove describes poetry is distilled and powerful language. Paul Engle suggests it is language raised to the Nth power. Whatever way you wish to describe it, it is different than ordinary language. If I could paint, perhaps I would open my interior self on canvass. I don’t, but I do paint with words on white pages. My art is poetry. Poetry is my medium of expression; it is therefore very much relevant to me even in these times.

Another Month - where has it gone?

mood: upbeat
listening to: Even The Nights Are Better / Air Supply

Where has the month gone already? I'd like it to slow down a bit (after tomorrow would be fine) Weekends, ah... something to live for.

Here's my 12 month summation of submissions / outcomes. Unfortunately I've run a rash of rejections the last couple of weeks. This too will end.

Pending responses: 9

Submissions sent last 12 months: 48

Submissions sent this month: 5

Acceptance ratio: 11.32 %

Think about it

From Kelli @ First Draft

Boundaries & imagination

mood: happy
listening to: nothing

"There is a boundary to men's passions when they act from feelings; but none when they are under the influence of imagination." - Edmund Burke



Perhaps after work tonight I'll get tanked on imagination.

MU plans poetry events

Mood: complicated
Listening to: nothing


So begins the day of the last State of the Union Address by George Herbert Walker Bush. A minor milestone. The big one comes when his reign is over. History, kaput!

I received another rejection letter this weekend. Things are bound to turn around soon!

I've noted that Missouri University's Center for the Literary Arts has an ambitious series of poetry events planned. I wanted to give them some props for what looks to be a great lineup of poets.

• Stop Traffic benefit, 8 p.m., Feb. 14, Cherry Street Artisan, 111 S. Ninth St. - *This is to benefit Stop Traffic, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding to end human trafficking.
• Terrance Hayes poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 20, Reynolds Alumni Center, 700 Conley Ave.
• Heather McHugh poetry reading and lecture, reading 7:30 p.m., March 13, Reynolds Alumni Center, and lecture 4 p.m., March 14, with a location to be determined.
• Major Jackson poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., March 20, Reynolds Alumni Center.
• Kevin Prufer poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., April 24, Cherry Street Artisan. Kevin in the new Poet Laureate from Missouri.

It was nice to see the temperatures warm up a bit. The wind has kicked up too. Almost reminds me or tornado season in these parts but that would be a wee bit premature - at least historically.

According to my biorhythms, I am on the cusp of the convergence of all my positives tomorrow. Nothing like a little pressure.

Five Reasons Poets Should Revise

1. Keeps poets busy and off the street.
2. Creates illusion of being more productive.
3. Provides more fodder for critical review.
4. If you throw enough shit against a wall, some of it sticks.
5. I once heard someone else say, "Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!"

untitled draft

A voyage riddled with holes
Bled upon the waters;
Defused pink liquid—

Briefly marking the position
As time slowly ran though the motions
Of a trip [journey] that died a slow death [listing at sea].

* untitled 1-22-08
**revised 1-23-08

Lovingly supporting my vice

mood: cautious
listening to: nothing


One of the great things about my wife (and there are many) is her helpful eye for great poetry words. Keep in mind that Cathy is not particularly enamored by poetry itself, but is highly supportive of my vice. In the morning drive into the city the other day (she’s reading a book while I’m driving- she feels safer that way) she pauses and announces she has a perfectly awesome poetry word for me to work into some future creation. The word was "Kudzu" a fast growing vine indigenous to eastern Asia which evidently has been successfully introduced into the southern U.S. This is not a first occurrence; she has also e-mailed me words during the day.

I am appreciative of this on two levels. First, the words are in fact wonderful discoveries. It’s like she’s panning for gold and comes up with these precious finds. Besides the nature of her selections being top notch, the very fact that she considers their value in a poetic sense against her otherwise minuscule interest in poetry says this is an act of love and support. That says a lot!

On another note, I've added a couple of poems previously published elsewhere to my web site.
You can see them at michaelawells.com . If you visit the site, please take a moment to sign the guest book. Thanks!

A holiday from the office

mood: upbeat
listening to: Pleasant Valley Sunday - The Monkees

Complete overcast today - the cold continues. I've been busy on my day off this morning and will break shortly for lunch then I plan to write for an hour and a half - hopefully without interruption.

I've sifted quickly through my spam folder (twice in the past I've had responses to poetry submissions that ended up in my spam folder that I nearly missed. One acceptance and one rejection) just to be safe. 91 pieces of spam.

It's amazing how much I've won in online lotteries, How uh... big I can become, I think I must have had several e-mail epistles from Paul, and there are so many pills to choose from and so little time.

Well, lunch time!

Burrr.....

mood: funky
listening to: nothing

Bitter cold air seems to have taken up residency in the Kansas City area. Even yesterday, with one of the brightest sunshine skies I've seen in a long time, the temperatures were in single digits. Today however, the sky is cloudy. The snow has a crusty sound to it when you walk on it.

This caught my eye today - Maya Angelou's poem in praise of Hillary. Funny how many articles I read out of the Guardian. The British media do a very respectable job of covering a variety of things outside of Britain, not the least of which are the arts and American Politics.

It seems totally inconceivable to me that Suzanne Pleshette was 70. Ah, but perhaps I am in denial of my own age. I was very fond of her - enjoying everything I think I ever saw of her acting. Admittedly I did not see her in any Hitchcock movies. I know she did at least one of them. An any rate, I was saddened to hear of her death. God, the Newheart show was an evening staple for me for many years.

Anyone else amused by the speech last night by Fred Thompson as he was going down the tubes in the GOP primary in South Carolina? I mean it was early in the night and I guess the old man had to get some rest from all his walking for president, so he cut out early.

Turned out a good first draft today of a poem. I'm wanting to work on it some more but trying to resist till at least tomorrow to see what kind of perspective I have after sleeping on it.

Movie and a Book Store Date

mood:full
listening to: Shostakovitch Symphony No 5 in D minor

Wife and I got away today to the movies ans saw Juno. It was my wife's choice and she gets points for the selection. I would assume this was a relatively low budget movie. No awesome special effects, just a dynamite performance by Ellen Page, a teenage girl who carries herself through a serious adult sized crisis in comedic style. I found the storyline, bursting with pop culture, adorable. The author brought a range of emotion to the story, Page carried the weight of it beautifully.

Next to B & N where I bought W.S. Merwin's Migration today with a gift card I got for my birthday. I have one other Merwin book, and I have come to have great appreciation for his work. Remarkable poetic mind!

We capped it all off with a stop at Starbucks!

A Life's Work

mood: nonchalant
listening to: nothing


Yesterday, Laura Spencer with KCUR our local NPR affiliate did a really interesting interview with Kathrin Goldman, the widow of Lester Goldman a Professor of Painting at the Kansas City Art Institute for almost 40 years. Goldman worked in painting, sculpture, preformance and set design until his death in 2005 and was a prolific artist.

Evidently, Goldman had massive amounts of work between his home and studio. With the help of some former students Kathrin was able to catalogue the work which will be on display and for sale
tomorrow.

Lester Goldman: A Life's Work

1619 Walnut Kansas City, Missouri 64110

816-651-3757

January 19th, 12-5 p.m.

From Spam

mood:calm
listening to: Now And Forever / Air Supply

Ah... it's always good to check your spam mail now and then... realized tonight I had a rejection on the 12th.

"Thank you very much for your poetic submission to XXXXXX. I enjoyed reading your poetry, but will not be accepting any of these for publication." Then the usual pitch to submit again.

Just think, I was nearly unknowingly rejected... now I feel so much better.

Thought for Day

mood: amused
listening to: NPR


"We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality." ~ Albert Einstein

Occupying the space in between

Mood: nonchalant
Listening to: Piano Man / Billy Joel

Found myself in the waiting room at the doctors office this afternoon writing about the floor covering and the ceiling. How drab is that?

Since arriving home, I've come upon another idea that feels promising but will take some time to flush out. I'll make some notes tonight that can keep the concept fresh while I let is sort of settle in my mind and see what kind of cream might rise to the top to skim off.

It's late, I'm going to get ready for bed, listen to a podcast and turn in for the night. Snow is falling ( again ) here and I am anticipating the worst in terms of road conditions in the morning. Perhaps I'll be jiggered..

Absence of major publishing houses in The National Book Critics Circle

According to The New York Observer, The National Book Critics Circle, an organization made up of about 700 active book critics, announced on Saturday the finalist pool for their end-of-year awards and the Poetry category did not include a single book published by one of the major houses this year.

The nominees in the poetry category included:

Mary Jo Bang, Elegy, Graywolf; Matthea Harvey, Modern Life, Graywolf; Michael O'Brien, Sleeping and Waking, Flood; Tom Pickard, The Ballad of Jamie Allan, Flood; Tadeusz Rozewicz, New Poems, Archipelago.

Is this a trend, or a fluke?

The matter of poetry and academia

I was interested in the results poll that just concluded on this blog concerning the influence of academia on poetry. Since the poll will be coming off the sidebar soon and likely be replaced with another issue, I will recap the results here.

Academia Influence on Poetry

• Too much ................ 36%
• Just right .............. 16%
• not enough ............ 32 %
• haven't thought about it 16%

I've not had a strong predisposition how this might have turned out. If anything, I might have thought there would be a larger number critical of the amount of influence by academia on poetry but I would not have been willing to bet on the outcome one way or the other. Perhaps the most surprising to me was the fact the the number who had not thought about it was in double digits. I probably hear more people who express dislike the influence of academia, but I'm never sure if that is because more feel that way or they are just more vocal.

The amount of interest sparked by performance or slam poetry by young people today I think contributes to an augmentative counter academia presence in the poetry culture. This seems to place a lesser emphasis on the literary aspect of poetry and make it more about story telling or rhetorical skills.

There seems to be a feeling by some that the influence of academia is tantamount to the creation of cookie-cutter educational programs that simply reproduce more and more writers that write like the poet next to them.

I myself do not come from an literary academia background, however I am perhaps more drawn to the poetry that would most often be associated with academia. I find that my own personal tastes are generally more satisfied by the literary side of poetry then the theatrical or performance.

There are people, many talented ones that can stand an talk extemporaneously at an open mic and can be both impressive and entertaining in their oratory skills. But it still bothers me that what they have just done cannot be recalled by them the next day. And further, while it may sound forceful as a message, I liken it to someone who comes to an open mic and says, what I am about to read, I wrote earlier today. It is a rare person who can write something that well without revisions. And not only is it a rare person, they usually can't do it with consistency. I guess I would fall into the 48% that are satisfied or would even like more academic influence on the art of poetry.

Barry Knows Treadmill

Barry says, " Screw the cold weather,

I'll walk inside today!"

Vacation day... yeah!

Mood: uneasy
Listening to: nothing

As of today, this is my past 12 month results report:

Pending responses: 14
Submissions sent last 12 months: 45
Submissions sent this month: 2
Acceptance ratio: 13.33 %

A few recent rejections has cut into my acceptance ratio, but not to worry. Just keep plugging away.

I looked at my biorhythms chart for the month and it looks like the 29th of January everything comes to an optimum point. Physical, emotional and intellectual. We'll see how my writing progresses between now and the end of the month.

Our local poetry society chapter meeting last night was really good. Most everyone had material of their own to share and we had a new visiting guest who blew us away with his work.

We picked up my oldest daughter at the airport this morning. She's here to visit through Saturday. She and youngest daughter will then fly back to Phoenix together, for which I am already feeling sad. It is nice to have all the kids in town over my birthday (Thursday) and I've taken vacation days today and tomorrow.

Missour Now has a first State Poet Laureate

Mood: tired
Listening to: nothing


Walter Bargen, 59, of Ashland, Missouri - a central Missouri community of about 3,000 residents, has been named the first Poet Laureate of Missouri by Governor Blunt.

Bargan may not be a household name, but he is a recipient of the William Rockhill Nelson Award for poetry and has a number of books published including "West of West" (2007) from Timberline Press; "Remedies for Vertigo" (2006) from WordTech Communications; "The Feast" (2004) from BkMk Press-UMKC. While he is not exactly an academic poet has has degrees in psychology and English education.

Here are some links to a sampling of his work:

NEWTON REVISITED

CIVILIZED SACRIFICE

HOUSE OF TURTLE

Another #$%&#@& Reality Show

Mood: lame
Listening to: nothing

Here we go again... another new reality show (barf). According to NPR the A & E network is airing a new reality show called Parking Wars in which camera crews follow the exploits of one of the most despised workers, those men and women who comprise the parking patrol. Just for the record, parking patrol people are quite a way down on my list from people who create new reality shows. To me, they are far more despicable.

Think about it... if you get a parking ticket or your car towed, these people are simply enforcing the laws hence providing some order of civility on our streets. On the other hand, producers of reality shows are putting together low budget productions to rake in advertising revenues while dumping this crap on the numbing minds of viewers.

Back to yesterday's post, I need to look into more information on biorhythms and get a chart for my own so I can explore further this notion of the possible correlation between them and writing. I have a poetry society meeting tonight, maybe I'll mention this and see what kind of laughs it gets.

I was thinking....

Mood: upbeat
Listening to: William Brooks – The Gift

Wow, I haven’t blogged in a few days. It’s lunchtime and I though I’d hammer out something on my mind.

Given the way I sort of flow into and out of spurts of creativity with my writing I have to wonder about the nature of biorhythms. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about them, but as I understand the theory of biorhythms, it is based upon claims that one's life is affected by rhythmic biological cycles, physical, emotional and intellectual. I realize that most consider the theory of biorhythms lacks conclusive evidence to support the notion, but just out of curiosity, I am wondering if any other poets out there have followed their biorhythms closely enough and tried to correlate these to better writing days to match these cycles. Just a thought- don’t laugh.

P isn't for pessimism

I filled up my gas tank yesterday. I didn’t like it, but we are a mobile society and I do have to get to and from work. I heard the cost of petrol on the exchange flirted with 100 a barrel and I saw this morning it was up there again.

No one I know has recently accused me of being a Pollyanna, but I’m not the grim reaper either. Reading Dale Smith’s 2008 poetry forecast makes me wonder if I should buy stock in Pfizer. Surely any poet who is not already on Zoloft will require it before long if Dale’s State of the Poetry Union Forecast were to be on the mark.

I’m not suggesting that there are sweet days ahead for the American Economy. I don’t care what the other economic indicators are, you spend $8.25 billion a month that is not factored anywhere in your budget for a war, over an extended period and there are going to be serious economic repercussions. That goes without the housing market sagging or the price of fuel. I’ll give Dale credit, we are in a mess and he’s called that right. But what Dale has described is a total financial collapse of the economy and linked to it a very disparaging result for the state of poetry.

Much of, no, nearly all of poetry written today is free from connection to our economy.
A good number of poets I know – many of which are quite accomplished writers don’t see economic rewards from their work and will write no less in 2008 irrespective of the price of fuel oil.

This past year was a pretty nasty year and I’d say that as divided as this nation is politically, we have right now about a 50% shot that the next president will move this nation in the right direction. It’s a crap shoot, and I’m being honest. Even if we are fortunate, the present state of affairs is so bad; I can almost guarantee we won’t even be halfway out of the sorry state of this nation by the time 2008 is over. Even so, poetry can and likely will flourish.

Most poetry readings are generally a local event. I see little chance of these becoming a thing of the past. The state of small presses has been changing for some time and likely will continue. Already we are seeing a shift in the print industry to print on demand for a number of reasons… inventory costs, environmental considerations to name a couple. As for the Internet, it's even far more cost effective as a means of commerce and would likely flourish in time of critical fuel costs/supply.

The year 2008 can go to hell in a hand basket and poetry will likely continue. It's in tough times that poetry seems to crawl out of the cracks of inspiration from nowhere and spring up everywhere.

Annual New Years Day Poetry Reading

Today was the Annual New Years Day Poetry marathon at the
Writers Place in Kansas City. I believe this is like the third year if my memory serves me correct. Started mid day today and runs till midnight or until the poets and crowd otherwise disbands.

Pictured right is Will Leathem, Writers Place director with the opening reading. I read five pieces of work this year. I haven't read nearly as much this year as in the past couple of years. Perhaps I should plan to do a little more of it in 2008. We'll see.

Welcome to the new year...

A little poetry news from around the world...

• More than 70 years after García Lorca’s death by a fascist firing squad at the start of the Spanish Civil War, the shadowy elf apparently inhabits García Lorca’s country me. Click
• Thousands of dissidents silenced under Argentina's military dictatorship - tortured, executed and made to "disappear" in the so-called Dirty War against dissent - are gaining new voice through poetry. Click
• For Ferlinghetti, poetry's "use" extends far beyond the personal into the political. "Poetry can save the world by transforming consciousness," he argues in "Poetry as Insurgent Art," a slim hardback pocketbook manifesto of prose epigrams, seemingly addressed to poets and those who might be. Click
• Ashbery's poetry makes you wonder what the wish to understand may protect you from; what the pleasures are of not understanding. Click
• Letters to the World, a poetry collection by the world's female poets, including an Iranian, is to be released early in the New Year. Click

Final 12 month review of the year

Statistics totals reflect last 12 months from this date: 12-31-07

Pending responses: 18
Submissions sent last 12 months: 43
Submissions sent this month: 10
Acceptance ratio: 15.38 %

Happy New Year Everyone!

May 2008 be filled with much inspiration ~ writing ~ and publication to you all!

"The Present is a Point just passed." ~ David Russell

In one way or another, time seems to find a way into a good deal of poetry. I suppose, because it often becomes another "place" and in so many ways poetry relies upon place. A place in the past... a birthday, a death, a walk in the park on one certain day in May, or it's about where someone is this very moment in their life. Still, it can present itself in the fears, dreams, hopes of the future.

There are periods when I write a lot about time myself, in one way or the other. It is an easy place to go for a poet because it can be anywhere s/he wants it to be and it can help distance the writing from the moment we are in and, it seems easier to write in another time than another persona.

Why am I blogging on time today? I suppose because New Years Eve is one of those dividers of time, just as time zones are or the International date line (not a reference to a singles phone service). We catalogue things by points of time and so one of those great separators of then and now, or past and future seems as good as any to think about the relativity of time.

12 days left to Vote on Poetry & Academia

Mobile post sent by stickpoet using Utterz. Replies. mp3

7 Things You Should Know About Writing Poetry:

Deborah Ager posted a list of 7 things you should know about writing poetry. She challenged others to make their own list. I saw Kelli's list & below you will find mine.

7 Things You Should Know About Writing Poetry:

1. Writing poetry can be solitary even amongst other people.
2. There will be days you question what you are doing and swear you’ll never write again. This will pass. Often later the same day.
3. People will think you are moody because you are a poet. This is not so. Even people who cannot write a single line of poetry can be moody anytime prior to their death.
4. You will add years to your life if you can learn to resist trying to explain the meaning of your poetry when people ask.
5. It is not mandatory that you be narcissistic to be a poet, but on the other hand it won’t hurt.
6. Not everything we write has happened to us. If so, we would all be a little too weird.
7. It’s not that our parent(s) didn’t teach us to share; we just tend to get fussy about our writing instruments, journals, and the table at Starbucks we sit at, etc.

Fools Gold?

Wine anyone? At left is a snapshot of a portion of an art piece that was done the the top raps of wine bottles the cover the corks. A gripping piece of art work my daughter and I saw yesterday. When I first saw it from a distance I had no idea what the medium was but it locked on me like a heat seeking missile and we were inseparable at that point. I had to see it up close.

The brilliance reminded me of fools gold. Sort of chunky and multi layered in texture. I wanted to bring it home though it would have taken a massive wall to display it on.

We saw a number of exhibits - many old black and white photos - lot of them civil war era. I am continually impressed with what a talented photo artist can do with black and white.

There were some civil war battle photos. I was remarking to my wife how gory they were when Meghan (daughter) took issue with the gore description. And she was right. They were certainly not gory by cinema or even news standards today, but they were disturbing none the less in a very real way.

While there was not the blood and or mutilation we often equate with gore, many were battlefield shots taken the day after a battle. The stiff and sometimes bloated bodies would have configurations of limbs that suggested that many were left dying - scattered about the landscape perhaps for hours in pain, or one reaching for another nearby in life and frozen in that reach to their final ounce of remaining life was gone. It was perhaps more properly a morbidity than gore.

Today we took Meghan to Christopher Elbows Chocolate to celebrate her birthday. You want decadence? Try it. There is supposed to be one opening in San Francisco for you out west.

A Few Thoughts this Thursday Night

After a very intense day at work I came home, had dinner, watched a bit of TV and had a glass of wine and now have sit down to collect my thoughts.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is heavy on my mind. I suppose in part, because I always find political assassination to be particularly distasteful. It is so contrary to the order of society and political discourse. Another reason I think it hits home with me is that I have been thinking a lot lately about the role of arts in society the past few days and how democratic nations where free speech is tolerated is a place where arts should by all rights flourish and those nations that are controlled by a strong government of censorship and repression of ideas should be free of such artistic expression.

I look at China and Burma for example and am amazed at the courage it takes to be an artist outside the control of the government in these places. Still, we see evidence of courageous individuals who risk much under harsh conditions. Then I think how in our own country so many of us sit back and watch quietly as so many elements of our freedom are challenged from within.

The Pakistani people are truly at a critical juncture and it seems obvious there is a very fine line between the existence of a presumed democratic state and a military controlled one and just how tenuous democracy has become there.

It’s funny that political discourse and artistic expression can both provoke strong reactions from people. So here I am tonight, not listening to any music that I can share with you, but instead considering just how much alike the arts and political discourse are. How both need a positive nurturing environment to remain healthy.

The people of Pakistan tonight must surely recognize how delicate the order to their society is.
The rest of us wait, and watch to see how it responds to the challenges it is presented with. What kind of order and society will survive.

Meanwhile, I think about poetry, music, and other fine arts and realize they aren’t just art, but expressions and reflections of who we are. We need to stop treating them as “just” arts, like in the educational process they are less than. Less than science or math or history. They are after all, who we are as a people. When art is restricted, our expressions are muffled. When that happens, freedom and democracy are on the line.

Political assassinations not only kill people, but the expression of ideas. Suppression of the arts
will kill them too.

Looking into the future...

You may not have cracked open your 2008 planner yet, but take note that Oct. 23, 2008 - Charles Simic, current poet laureate of the United States and Pulitzer Prize winner, reads from his work at the Midwest Poets Series on the Rockhurst University Campus. Simic is one of several poets whose work I like to read and reread - especially when I find myself in a writing funk. His work is like a jump start to the creative processes inside my brain.

Happy Holidays

Wishing everyone this holiday season joy ~ peace ~ and safe travel.

Michael Wells

Latest 12 month Update

Pending responses: 16
Submissions sent last 12 months: 46
Submissions sent this month: 8
Acceptance ratio: 15.38 %

Poetry in the News Sunday 12-23-07

The poet Martín Espada on the passing of his friend and mentor Alexander "Sandy" Taylor, co-founder of Curbstone Press.

Literary Giants Lost: Paley,Vonnegut, Halberstam, Mailer
...But Promising Signs For 2008.

This morning from my bedroom I heard rain beating against the windows. Considering the temperature I knew this was not a good thing. Tonight the ball field across the street looks larger then life in massive white.

In the picture above, my bud Barry, maintains a stern view of things.

Started reading Pushkin's Eugene Onegin which my daughter brought home with her from school for the Christmas break. Considering her distaste of poetry I am intrigued that she enjoyed the book so much.

Haven't shared any journal bits for a few days so I'll throw some in this post...

• portions of the night are tattered/comfort estranged/rest could only be a figment of active imagination
• I looked at my left hand/traced the lines deep/into the country side/until I could not recall /how I got there
• strung together, we are popcorn/and cranberries- differences/flashing red lights do not exclude
• night is lax on standards/makes no effort to screen/leaving the door ajar
• there is one non sequitur/that echoes in your head/and loosens the bindings/of Webster's unabridged/joins the others as the new word for the year/the binding restitched all tidy

With the good comes a dilemma

As the year draws to a close, I find myself looking back on my work this year with both a satisfaction and a quandary about the future.

My success rate with getting material published has been the best ever this year. I think in part due to more aggressive submission efforts than past. Still, I do feel that I have managed some outstanding pieces of work over the year and this is a result for growth in my work.

I've placed a greater emphasis upon revision of my poems and keep them back longer in many instances then in the past. The dilemma I am facing is the feeling that the method I have relied upon for workshoping work is broken. There is not sufficient consistency available among my existing sources to be able to simply be satisfied with how this is working.

I have met in the past with another group at a local library for this purpose but there were only a couple of us writing poetry and the rest were fiction writers. It was not a good match and I discontinued my participation.

Our local poetry chapter has at times been a source of input, but we do not meet solely for the purpose of workshoping and while it proves helpful at times, it is not a situation where there are other who regularly use it for this purpose and as such I do not want abuse the meeting time.

There are others with whom I have in the past exchanged work by email for the purpose of workshoping and that has worked well at times, but more recently it seems again, a one way street. It is not a good thing when I am more regularly working on stuff and others have little or nothing to send. I am a firm believer that everyone needs to feel the benefit of such a process. Lately, (and perhaps it is due to the holiday season) everyone else seems to be at a standstill. At any rate, as I look ahead to the new year, I must figure out how to deal with this challenging issue.

Quote for the Day

"Art is only a means to life, to the life more abundant. It is not in itself the life more abundant. It merely points the way, something which is overlooked not only by the public, but very often by the artist himself. In becoming an end it defeats itself." ~ Henry Miller

Inevitable (draft)

Inevitable (draft)

The prodigal son is just one of many
though he knows expectations run high.
There is always this red velvet carpet
that divides his thought process.

The future is some worm baited taunt,
and awkward as being caught with a cousin
at the Perkins family reunion.
It takes the swim of salmon upstream

to break a biblical cycle
that darkens the sky and
chokes off free will.
Times like these you swear
You’re an orphan.

Dan Fogelberg 1951-2007

Dan Fogleberg, singer and songwriter whose hits "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne" helped define the soft-rock era of the late 1970's died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer. He was 56.

Leader of the Band Run For The Roses

Same Old Lang Syne Falling Rain Official Site

It's Monday already? :::sigh:::

Christine Klocek-Lim announces Autumn Sky Poetry 8 is on line. I haven't read it yet, but I intend to today. Christine's selections are worthy reads.

My youngest daughter came home for the holidays. It's so refreshing to hear her laughter in the house.

Went to Boarders yesterday looking for a certain book and came up empty. Sometimes I think I should own a bookstore so that there was on which stocked a broad inventory of poetry material and not just a token section. Of course I'd likely go broke doing it. Wait a minute! I am broke.

Wow - Sandra Beasley has a poem on Slate : The World War Speaks

Reminder: regular readers may want to subscribe to Stick Poet & receive it in the mail box. See the subscribe box by Feed Burner in the left sidebar.

Robert Hass Interviewed

Poet Robert Hass interview by Wall Street Journal online [click]

Diane Middlebrook - Poet & biographer dies of cancer

Diane Middlebrook - perhaps best known for her book, Anne Sexton- a biography, died this weekend of cancer. Middlebrook was 68 and had taught in the English department at Stanford. She is also the author of Her Husband: Hughes and Plath, a Marriage a 2003 best selling biography.

The challenge to become something else...

Texture is an awakening call. It says, "I'm not ordinary. Feel me, see me, become me on a page."

Studio 360 / MacDowell Colony et al

I enjoyed these podcasts about MacDowell & MacAlford Colonies

Death March

Why penguins are at risk

Journal smatterings

• perception grows elongated/hangs around crowds/making the kinds of impressions/teenagers do to one another/looking to make points/with the opposite sex
• Intonation offered up for what?/ears- or simply a regurgitation
• nights of elastic boredom/ripple with salty waves/of complacency we suck on/there is a satisfying feeling /like a dog gets licking your face
• you showered the long day away/I gave you a bath robe/the belt hung limp

Gamers will 'w00t' over word of the year - Internet- msnbc.com

Gamers will 'w00t' over word of the year - Internet- msnbc.com: " Expect cheers among hardcore online game enthusiasts when they learn Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year. Or, more accurately, expect them to 'w00t.' 'W00t,' a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness, topped all other terms in the Springfield dictionary publisher's online poll for the word that best sums up 2007."

Duende & the Bag We Drag Around

Getting back to duende, The Poet’s Companion by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux has a chapter in it called The Shadow. In it they relate what the psychologist Carl Jung describes as our pleasant self with which we identify and our hidden self which we try to deny or reject altogether.

They go on to correlate this to what the poet Robert Bly refers to as the shadow. Our shadow is presumably a long beg we drag behind us throughout life. As we learn what others / society doesn’t like, we start “bag stuffing” or discarding into the bag what we do not wish others to see. By the time we are adults there is just this thin slice of us visible and the rest we’ve stashed in the bag we drag around.

Addonizio and Laux have pieced this altogether with Lorca’s duende (see yesterday’s post) and it is certainly easy to see where this other part of us comes from. Without committing anything to a page, one can see how our lives alone reflect this conflict. If we can dip into this bag as we write, our writing can reveal a part of us that offers a genuine picture of humanity that we do not normally identify with, yet, is very real.

I know from personal experience how hard it is to get away from self censorship. If we subconsciously withhold a grater part of ourselves in day to day life, how easy can it be to peel back the cover and let light expose that which we work so hard to deny.

My challenge is to go to that bag when I write and try my best to reach into it like I were drawing a letter while playing scrabble and just accept what comes out to incorporate it into my poetry.

Finding duende

I've been reading some material from several sources on the subject of duende. I find myself transfixed the concept of this sort of anti-muse. It's amusing that so much time and energy is focused on us finding the inspiration of our muse and yet there is beneath the surface this vast iceberg of subconsciousness that we as poets so often abnegate.

I've spoken here in the past about how so often the really striking poetry rises out of conflict. This is something Donald Hall has written about in essay. In Edward Hirsch's the demon and the angel - Searching for the Source of Artistic Inspiration he talks about the emergence of the duende philosophy I believe first introduced by the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca in a 1930 lecture. There are a variety of other poets and philosophers who speak of this same mysterious force deep within human nature. I am finding the shared view of numerous poets on this subject to be a significant part of my learning curve as it relates to poetics.

In both my own writing and in the works of other poets that I especially enjoy reading, I like to see and feel dissonance. That contrasting conflict that arises when we write from inspiration on one hand, and allow ourselves the uncensored deep rooted mysterious part of our self to come out and play in our work. It is when these two forces - internal and external are present that I believe the best writing often occurs.

Enough on this subject tonight... but I will take it up again tomorrow.

A Little Poetry News to Chew On

Wendy Cope is not amused to find her work spread about the Internet... The British poet is a strict advocate of copyright protection. [ story]

In Janet's World the poetry is contemporary issues and extremely accessible - though not likely to win any awards. [ story ]

Tiny chapbooks that combine art, literature and design [ story ]

The story of on of Philip Larkin's (1922-85) greatest narrative poems, "The Explosion"which offers thoughts on the process of poetry.

Poetry's PR chick in New Zealand

Michele Leggott is the new poet laureate for New Zealand, but Leggott's husband "rudely fell about laughing" when he heard that his wife had been picked. [story]

Some Saturday Nonsense

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Looking For The Right Poet

KCUR News
Search for First Missouri Poet Laureate Continues- Laura Spencer [ click here ]

If you are looking for a real treat this Friday...

I recommend going to qarrtsiluni online literary magazine for the poem by Dana Guthrie Martin - titled: And the Crickets Outside the Window. Click here

A poet & his companion...

It's cold here tonight. Snow came to the Kansas City area today. Driving home tonight was treacherous.

To the left you see my little tuckered out buddy that was banished to the room with the poet at work for tormenting one of the cats. Sort of like sending him to Siberia I guess.

He's a good boy most of the time... but he has his weak moments. But don't we all?

Worked on some rewrites tonight and also sent off three poems in search of homes. I feel compelled to find these orphans homes for the holiday.

Check out Picture Poetry

See the full Piclit at Poetry Picture

Poets and Evolution of Language

For me, poetry, more than any other form of literature has brought to the forefront a greater awareness of the dependence of language upon external factors. This underscores a dynamic of human communications that surprisingly make language subservient to both pictorial and emotional whims, and adds a layer of complexity that amazingly is evolutionary in nature.

Since poetry is generally regarded as the best words in the best order, such focus on word economy greater exposes each word to scrutiny, thus providing greater focus upon meaning. Individual words stand out far more in poetry than say fiction or essay or any other written communication endeavor.

It is amazing to me how the centenaries of language evolution must have progressed as man sought to find common quotients in expression. The transference from cryptic drawings to word sounds and the vastness of vocabulary expansion seems to me nothing short of phenomenal. There can be no mistaking this was an evolutionary process and it seems to me somewhat odd to think that even today this evolution is still in process right under our noses.

Is not the very articulation of metaphorical usage pushing the envelope of language? It seems to me the answer is yes, and in that context poets have a significant role to play in moving and shaking the language of our culture. The question I have, is which side of the curve are poets more often on? Are we ahead of the curve pulling language, or are we behind the curve pushing the cultural change of language as the read them in society today?

The past twelve months....

Three rejections today... Que Sera, Sera.

On that note, a survey of my past 12 month activity....

• Pending responses: 11
• Submissions sent last 12 months: 40
• Submissions sent this month: 2
• Acceptance ratio: 15.79 %

Affirmation: I will do more over the next 12 months!

Monday Rat Race Starts

Saw this on Ivy's blog.... cool huh? Poetry Library


Quote for today....

I will show you fear in a handful of dust. ~ T.S. Eliot

Poetry in the News - Sunday Night

A few stories of interest -

• Letters of Ted Hughes reveals a fascinatingly honest man (click)
• Poetry of Protest - a story from Iran (click)
• John Ashbery & Robert Lowell - Two great American poets but very different (click)
• Robert Pinsky has perfected a kind of multicultural poetic shorthand (click)

Dinner with Kim

Those who savor the verse of poets had some tasty morsels served up last night at the Midwest Poets Series at Rockhurst University. Our hostess was Kim Addonizio from Oakland, California. She presented her reading as though it was a meal starting with cocktails moving to appetizers and a three course entrée topped off with a cordial.

Addonizio is a talented writer that has carved out successes in both poetry and fiction but admittedly prefers poetry. So you see, she already has me like putty in her hands; but honestly there is something about the edginess in her writing that is real. As she reads you seem to lose yourself in the words and find at the end you’ve awaken in your bed in cold sweats with the whole scenario next to you.

The crowd in the theater last night was attentive hanging to her words. There is no doubt in my mind that others too found themselves lost in her poetry. It is rich, it is real and if we were counting calories it is over the top.

She finished all this off… the poetry, a few pages from her latest novel, with a sign that her talents do not end with a pen. She treated us to a song on her harmonica. It was as song! It had distinguishable notes- not that wha-wha- whaa- wha you traditionally think of with a harmonica.

You won’t get the music if you buy the book, but her poetry is still very much worth the read. There are a few individual poems of hers out there on the Internet to discover, but her poetry is worth having in your library. And if you ever get lucky enough to hear her live, don’t pass it up!

Some audio of Kim:

What Do Women Want?

Salmon

Lush Life

Life before my father’s murder - Times Online

Life before my father’s murder - Times Online:

"Life before my father’s murder Any hope of life to come is removed; this place is born of the loss of her father and her mother's betrayal" -Frieda Hughes commentary

Kim Addonizio Interview

Kim Addonizio is in Kansas City tomorrow night to read at the Midwest Poets Series on Rockhurst Campus.

The local newspaper has an interview with Kim By John Mark Eberhart of The Kansas City Star:

'If Kim Addonizio ever experiences artistic fear, she doesn’t wear it on her sleeve.
She’s not intimidated by form; she has written fiction, nonfiction and poetry. She’s not intimidated by subject matter; she has confronted sex, violence, mortality. She’s not even afraid to face that big heartbreaker of a subject — love.

Addonizio’s books include the verse collections Tell Me and What Is This Thing Called Love? as well as her novel from earlier this year, My Dreams Out in the Street. The author, who lives in Oakland, Calif., will read from her works Thursday night at Rockhurst University; see accompanying box for details. Recently she answered a few questions about her writing.' - John Mark Eberhart

Interview

The Osmond Flop in freestyle

There was no poetry last night in the Dancing With the Stars competition from Marie Osmond. You got to give her credit for having no shame. There have been meager performances by her in earlier weeks but last night was embarrassing and she had the audacity to scold judges for there critique. She should have exited weeks ago but the only thing more embarrassing then her performance last night would be if her fan base continued to put her and the viewers though such torment.

The difference between...

"Public toilets have a duty to be accessible, poetry does not." ~ Geoffrey Hill

Who is art for?

Question? Should art be only for the elite or financially comfortable in society? Before you answer that question, read this article.

A pitiful bird

Thanksgiving day is over, but there are leftovers and plenty of things to remain thankful for. My oldest daughter living in Phoenix informed of of her 8 lb turkey. Eight pounds? I thought, ok, they bought a bird indigenous to Arizona. I mean what could it find in to eat there? Besides in the heat it would sweat off any fat it was otherwise unlikely to accumulate. So youngest daughter (like her father) especially enjoys turkey wings. Youngest daughter is also having Thanksgiving Day meal with oldest daughter. No one else is interested in fighting over wings. Which is a good thing. Poor bird probably had inch and a half wings. :: add inappropriate chuckle here:: I think I've seen larger Cornish hens.

It's crazy.... As I sit here at 7:15 AM there are actually people all over this crazy city that got up and went to malls and stores that were opening (some as early as 4 AM) early with special deals. Those poor souls in some cases had to get there and stand in lines that formed like 2 hours before opening. So like about 5 hours ago. Crazy Crazy People. Amazon lets you be crazy shopping like a fool from your home for Black Friday deals on all kinds of things.

On the actual subject of poetry, I did manage some rewriting yesterday. With success, I might add. Still, at one point I felt a bit of writers burn out coming on. I don't know what triggered it. It happens from time to time. I think mostly it seems to be associated with some overwhelming anxiety - not necessarily even related to writing. At any rate, it appears past for the moment.

Read a fun piece from Poetry Foundation dot org titled 1,1,2,3,5,8, Fun - What's a Fib? Math plus poetry. Their basis is the Faonacci sequence. The number of syllables in each line of the poem is the sum of the previous two lines: 1,1,2,3,5,8. It becomes a six line twenty syllable poem. I though I'd play around with it a bit and seewhat I can create. It's not at all new, some of you may have already been writing them.

Wow... here is a surprise! The Amazon Kindle is out of stock already! They only went on sale Monday.

Have a good laugh

I appropriated this from Cindy's blog and I think the result is hilarious.

Galatea Resurrects - Eighth Issue

Eileen Tabios - GR Editor & Animal Lover - Wine expert, poet, etc. asked that we spread the word:

GALATEA RESURRECTS (A POETRY ENGAGEMENT) is pleased to release its Eighth Issue with 64 new reviews/engagements!We are always looking for reviewers; next review deadline is March 5, 2008. For GR's submission and review copy information, please go to http://grarchives.blogspot.com

Missouri Opus

A thousand leaves give their last all-

Their lives spent together

they reach a pinnacle in their journey.

They take to the air

to imitate birds of spring-

their colors singing out;

they land and cover the ground

that nourished their entire lives.

This final opus their one chance

to shine in all God's glory

before put to rest

buried under a white blanket that

will inter them to the ground

from which they came.

Glenn North & Pellom McDaniels Tonight

Former Chiefs player Pellom McDaniels pictured left



Glenn North career as a spoken word artist began in 1997 when he founded Verbal Attack, a monthly open mic poetry event. Glenn is the Director of the Urban Transcendence Poetry Project where his duties included facilitating poetry writing and performance workshops for youth in Wyandotte County as well as the adjudicated youth in Jackson County detention centers.

Currently Glenn is the Poet-in-Residence of the American Jazz Museum where he organizes and hosts the popular open mic poetry competition, Jazz Poetry Jams. He is also working toward the completion of his first volume of poetry entitled, Fortunate Ad-Verse-ity.

Known by many as a former defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, Pellom McDaniels has moved beyond his athletic career to that of an accomplished academic and community activist. He has authored his own book, My Own Harlem, established the "Arts for Smarts" foundation, and currently serves as professor of American Studies at University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Both North and McDaniels are featured tonight

Tuesday November 20th, 2007

7:00pm to 11:00pm

1616 E 18th ST K.C., MO

in the Blue Room - Admission $5

e-publishing?

Worked on some drafts & finished up one poem this weekend. Sent out three more into the world. Also did some brainstorming. So I would say it was a productive weekend. Also read a few poems.

I was interested to see several news items crop up on e-book readers. I had thought these items were like dead on arrival. Apparently some think not. Amazon is unveiling the new Kindle e-book reader Today in New York and Sony launched an upgraded version of its Sony Reader lat month. And The Wall Street Journal quoted an executive's estimated that e-book sales range between $15 million and $25 million annually. Still, in an industry that generated $25 billion in revenues last year that seems to me pretty small. I personally have downloaded e-books rarely, and I'm not sure that having a portable reader would change that much. I realize they do have some positive points including the environmental friendly nature but is there really that much potential for e-publishing?

At the Same Time

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." ~ Thomas Merton

I am but a lost and found box
in which I am constantly
reappearing like the stray cat at your door.

Even I fail at times
the test of recognizing
the sad clown of suppressed laughter

or the Angry tiger barb in a bowl
with no other fish to dine on.
Who are these characters I ask...

and in the smoke that clears
is the pretext for lust of three car garages,
swimming pools, a wife and 2.3 children
by the proletariat.

Anger wrapped in swaddling clothes
and a Molotov cocktail in my hip pocket-
Jesus am I adequately confused yet?

You can see my self portrait
in black velvet paintings
for sale in a Love and Peace van
at the 66 station on 8th and Hamilton.

At the botton of a fishing hole - on a chain and cender block

Last night, our local poetry society chapter celebrated Missouri's rich poetic heritage by reading from poets with Missouri connections, both living and deceased.

Then, later I put a poem in its second draft out of misery. I may steal a line from it for something else, but otherwise it is in the bottom of some Missouri fishing hole.

Quote of the Day

"I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war." ~ Albert Einstine

Gratitude

This time of the year always seems ripe for gratitude. Maybe it's the coming of Thanksgiving, but I suspect it is a deeper rooted internal thing that perhaps comes with the end of summer and seeing changes occur. A passage from the green of summer to the multiplicity of fall colors remind us that things can and do change. Could it be that the abundance of change around us reminds us that those things which we appreciate can be delicate in their very existence?

At any event, I felt an overwhelming desire to make note of a few things that I feel a true gratitude for. Some are small things, some are much more significant and as such the order of their mention here has nothing to do with the level of significance from one to another.

• an occasional glass of Chardonnay
• a good nights rest
• the clasp of my wife's hand when walking together
• the Fire Red Oaks in our back yard in fall
• a bite of dark chocolate
• a call or text message from the kids during the day
• my wife's voice on the phone in the middle of a busy day
• white - sweet bread
• a book of poetry within reach
• Clairton - D when needed
• a taste of honey
• the smell of Brazilian Nut Butter
• NPR radio
• every single day of the baseball season
• a/c in the car
• a fountain pen
• paper to write on
• a furry four legged friend
• hair on my head